Brooklin woman charged after falling asleep at wheel, crashing with children in van

BUCKSPORT, Maine — A Brooklin woman is facing a charge of driving without a license after she fell asleep at the wheel and her car went off a road into the woods, according to police.

Julie Madura, 20, and her two passengers — a girl and an infant — were not injured in the accident, which occurred around 1:40 p.m. Monday on Route 46, Officer Steve Bishop said.

Bishop said the infant was strapped into a properly installed child’s car seat and Madura and the other girl were wearing seat belts. He said Madura does not have an active driver’s license, however.

Madura was driving a Dodge minivan north on the state highway when she fell asleep, the officer said. The van went across the southbound lane and then about 20 yards into the woods, striking small trees and stumps before it came to rest, according to Bishop. He did not have a dollar estimate for the damage but said the van sustained significant damage to its undercarriage.

“When they crossed the centerline [of Route 46] they nearly hit another vehicle,” Bishop said. “It could have been much worse.”